


I Have to Go

by starsinger



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-04 12:25:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6657631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsinger/pseuds/starsinger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by yet another set of gifs on the lj site. Jim is leaving, and all Bones can do is stand and watch. Don’t own them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JoJa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoJa/gifts).



> I intend to continue this, whether or not JoJa’s pics/gifs cooperate with me! lol

“I don’t understand,” Bones told him. “Why?”

“Because they need my help,” Jim told him. The storms on the planet they were currently inhabiting had strengthened. The two cadets watched as the snowstorm swirled violently outside. A shuttle was lost in this storm. Five people including two children were out there in the storm.

“Jim, you could get yourself and the others killed,” Bones whispered.

“I know,” Jim whispered. “But what if it was Joanna out there in this weather? Would you stay here and do nothing?” Bones said nothing, they both knew the answer. Jim and Bones had been attending a party when the distress call had come through. Jim hadn’t even thought twice before bounding back up the stairs and changing into cold weather gear. Bones remained in his tux.

“Jim, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you too,” he whispered. Jim knew Bones referred to the ex-wife and daughter still alive on Earth, but might as well be lost in the snowstorm.

Jim turned around and placed a hand on Bones’ cheek, looking into his eyes. He kissed Bones softly. “I can’t make any promises, Bones. I can’t just leave them out there. Those kids…” his words trailed off as he followed his team out the door. He paused a moment and turned to look back at Bones, his heart in his eyes. Bones grimaced momentarily as Jim left, closing the door behind him.

Bones watched until he could no longer see Jim’s figure in the swirling snow. Then he turned back to the warm fire, pulling his bowtie off. It was going to be a very long night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, Joja’s pics will work. Don’t own them.

Bones sat in front of the fire, unable to contemplate what was happening out in this storm, what Jim was facing out in the wilderness. No, the shuttle couldn’t have gone down in the nearby village. Several men entered the lodge asking the owner urgent questions. The owner pointed to the den where Bones and several other partygoers. One approached Bones. “Excuse me, sir? Are you a doctor?”

“Yeah, what about it?” Bones asked. He wasn’t polite, he was barely interested. His mind was elsewhere, with the man who’d stolen his heart.

“Please, we have people who were caught out in this storm when it hit. We also had an avalanche…” the man’s words trailed off as Bones stood.

“You’re not expecting me to go rescue them, are you?” Bones asked bitingly.

“No, sir. We have a hospital nearby,” he told him, handing a cold weather suit. “Please, our only doctor was caught in the avalanche and is missing.”

Bones climbed the stairs to change his clothes and into the cold weather suit. At least he’d be too busy to think about what was happening to Jim. In his mind he pictured Jim stuck in the awful orange emergency suit, sitting wary and exhausted after rescuing everyone in the shuttle but unable to go anywhere else because of the storm.

Bones returned downstairs. His cold weather gear was really an environment suit, designed to protect him against the elements and keep him warm. A helmet was held loosely in his hand. The first man stood waiting for him. “How bad is it?” Bones asked, finally.

“We’ve lost communications with three villages in the area,” the man answered. “Oh, I’m William Spencer,” he told him, holding out a hand.

“Leonard McCoy, MD,” Bones told him.

* * *

Jim and his team looked down in horror. It was almost as if the planet was rebelling. They had abandoned the emergency vehicle two kilometers back and had proceeded on foot. What they found was their second village buried by an avalanche. Jim looked around and found Larry who was on his team. “Can you get through to planetary security?” Jim asked, almost shouting even above the howling wind.

“Sorry, sir, we’ve been trying. We haven’t been able to get through. We’ll mark the area with transceivers so someone will come in and find out there’s a problem. We can’t do any more,” Larry told him.

Jim grimaced. He knew Larry was right. “Let’s go,” he told them as they continued toward the faint signal that all ship’s emitted when something bad happened.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo, I see your challenge! And I meet it! Don’t own them.

“Vending machines, why does it have to be vending machines?” Bones asked. He knew he was mangling a quote from a movie, he just couldn’t get his brain to remember which one. It seemed that all modern hospitals had three things in common: a cafeteria with occasionally questionable food, a coffee dispenser whose contents were even more questionable, and vending machines whose contents were undoubtedly good, but nutrition content was even more questionable. He had a cup of the questionable coffee in his hand, and the cafeteria was closed. So, he was stuck with something from this vending machine.

This was not how dinner was supposed to go. That evening, he and Jim had gone downstairs to have a nice meal. Steak, baked potato, salad, and wine. A nice Chardonnay had been just poured into their crystal cut glasses when the weather had suddenly turned bad. The sunset that they had been smiling at disappeared with the sudden gust of wind. The waitstaff, accustomed to such mood changes in the weather, quickly got them and their food back inside the lodge. They had eaten the food when they’d been invited to a party going on in the next room. They’d gone up, changed clothes, and joined the total strangers who were celebrating a wedding. Of course it would be interrupted by lost souls in the blizzard. Bones looked down at the Mars bar that had finally deigned to be dispensed. He’d wanted the Snickers bar. Nothing was going right today.

Bones looked up as his name was paged again. This storm and its accompanying avalanches were not good. The only reason people were found alive was because they’d gotten to them quickly in the first village. No one had been able to get to the second village even though someone had set out emergency transceivers there hours ago. No word had yet to get to them on Jim and the missing shuttle. He could only hope that Jim was alright.

* * *

They’d taken shelter in a cave. It was at least out of the wind. According to the GPS, they were still hundreds of meters from the shuttle, and still could barely see inches in front of their noses. Their cross country skis being the only things keeping them from hurting themselves.

Sheila, another member of the team and the only one from the ski patrol, handed Jim a sandwich and water. Jim didn’t even think twice about it as he sat and started eating. He wasn’t hungry, but he knew he needed the calories, especially in this weather. “Any communications?” Jim finally asked.

“No,” Larry answered. “We don’t even know if anybody’s alive.” Jim looked around at his team. They were a good group and had hung in there in spite of the worsening conditions. The only thing saving them from frostbite was the warm weather gear. Jim just hoped it would keep up with the bad weather. Those people couldn’t wait.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original quote is from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. “Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Headplant. If you think Jo and I are somehow in collusion, the answer is no. I don’t have a clue what she’s going to post every day. This one, well it’s going to be a bit of a stretch. I just ask that Saturday I have something that is an appropriately heroic homecoming and Sunday appropriately romantic. I can hope. Don’t own them.

Bones came out of surgery. Avalanches and weather like this caused broken bones and other internal injuries that could only be corrected by going in. He was tired and wanting some sleep. He walked by the waiting room and saw two children playing. Someone had brought toys up from the children’s ward. They sat on the floor playing with dolls and toy blocks.

Bones couldn’t help it, he smiled. So much pain and devastation, and here was powerful confirmation that life was enduring. “I’m going to be a doctor, just like Dr. McCoy. He saved my Daddy!” the little girl announced.

“I’m going to be a rescue hero, just like Mr. Larry and Mr. Jim,” the little boy announced. “They saved me from the avalanche.” Bones’ heart broke as he noticed the little boy’s leg in a cast. He caught the eye of the woman in the room with them and she gave him a small smile.

“Come on, kids,” she told them. “You need some sleep.” She walked over and scooped the little girl up in her arms. Bones swooped in and picked up the little boy who looked up at him, startled. Instead of protesting the necessity of sleep, the children snuggled up to the adults as the woman led the way down the hall to a room. Instead of putting the boy into the bed for sleep, Bones kicked off his shoes and climbed in himself. He fell asleep with that same smile on his face, the little boy cuddled up on his chest.

* * *

It was a miracle, Jim decided. The silent shuttle sat in front of them. They’d run across one more village that was not buried under rock and snow. They had given them a hot meal and the radio frequency of their emergency center when they found the shuttle. Jim had appreciated it almost as much as the hot meal.

The storm had lessened in ferocity by the time they found the shuttle. Jim walked up and hit the hatch release button. Nothing happened. This was Jim’s specialty. He proceeded to check the circuits. They were frozen. He sighed. He pulled off his gloves and went rooting around for the manual release. The lever was located on the side that was leaning into the side of the mountain. He gave Larry a smile he didn’t feel as he dug into the snow to get to the release. Just as he managed to pull the lever, the shuttle’s lean decided to complete itself as the shuttle toppled over. Jim’s thought was of Bones, waiting for him back in the lodge. “I’m sorry, Bones,” he whispered. “I had to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duh duh duh. I labeled this as hurt/comfort, and intend to keep that label. I’m not adding a “Major Character Death” label here, so, please don’t start throwing things at me!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yaaay. The pics Jo put up today make this easy! Wooohooo!!! Don’t own them!

“Morning,” Jim’s voice said to him.

Bones woke up slowly. He was buried in black and white sheets and blankets and smiled. “How about a kiss?” Bones asked with a sly grin.

Jim, equally trapped, grinned back, “I’m sure that can be managed.” They came together in a passionate kiss. Bones savored the moment. He was so comfortable that the events of the past few days seemed unreal. They lay back down in bed and snuggled.

Soon, a voice intruded into the moment, “Doctor, Doctor McCoy, wake up, please!”

Bones came out of the wonderful dream and returned to the real world. The little boy still curled up on his chest. Bones quietly slipped the boy onto the bed and rose from the bed. “What is it?” Bones asked quietly.

“They found the shuttle. Unfortunately, the shuttle landed at an angle, and finally tipped over as the rescue team resulting in more injuries. They’re being brought in now. One of the rescuers was trapped under the shuttle. They’re in the process of getting it off him, but they fear the worst,” the nurse told him.

“Jim,” Bones said. He knew in his heart it was Jim.

* * *

“Mayday! Mayday! This is rescue team 1. We need a lift team. The shuttle has fallen over and we have someone trapped underneath!” Larry yelled into the comm as Sheila set out transceivers and other team members rushed into the shuttle. Jim’s maneuver had worked, the ramp had descended. Larry and Sheila went to investigate Jim’s position. There was no noise coming from under the shuttle. “This isn’t good,” Larry muttered.

Sheila nodded as they set about trying to clear out space at the bottom of the shuttle. “It looks like there were some large rocks on its way down. There’s a chance he wasn’t crushed,” Sheila told him. “At least the storm has lessened.” Both looked up as another shuttle had homed in on the transceiver signals and was coming to rest nearby. Crew poured out. Some headed for the people from the shuttle. Others pulled specialized equipment out to hoist the shuttle into a more upright position so they could get to Jim.

The rocks wedged under the shuttle worked in their favor as the equipment was able to get under it. Long, interminable moments passed as the jacked the shuttle up. Larry and Sheila dove under the metal behemoth and pulled Jim out. He was alive. Another member knelt nearby. “Internal injuries, multiple fractures of the right leg and arm, and he has a head fracture. We need to move him now!” He called to the other shuttle.

They managed to load those injured onto the other shuttle, unfortunately this left most of the rescue team out on the mountainside. Sheila sighed. “Well, we might as well start back,” she announced. Everyone nodded as cross-country skis were reattached and cold weather gear checked before they headed back down the mountain.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks Jo, pictures worked wonderfully! Don’t own them.

Of course Captain Pike would show up now. He seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to Jim. Or maybe he was just on the ride Jim and Bones were supposed to take back to Earth. Either way, it didn’t matter, he was here. Bones looked at the Captain as he awaited the arrival of the shuttle carrying all the injured from the crash site. The older man looked at the doctor, his eyes sad. “How is he?” Chris asked.

“I don’t know,” Bones replied. “From what I’ve heard, it’s bad. The medic relayed that Jim’s injuries are the worst coming in,” he watched as several other Starfleet doctors entered the building to help with the injuries. “I’ll take Jim. I’m the best surgeon here,” Bones’ voice trembled slightly.

Chris laid a hand on Bones’ shoulder. “Do what you have to, Leonard,” he replied as the shuttle finally landed. Jim was the first out of the shuttle. A device had been attached that looked like a clamp, only was fully flush with his skull.

The medic gave him the full list of injuries the Cadet had sustained when the shuttle had collapsed atop him. “What is this?” Bones asked, pointing to the machine.

The medic shrugged. “It’s something I came up with. With all the head injuries we have here, it helps stabilize any cranial injuries. It’s meant the difference between life and death in the field.”

Bones stared briefly at the man before ordering Jim into surgery while he went to prep for surgery. Six hours later he emerged shaking his head. The device had meant the difference. It had relieved the pressure in Jim’s noggin. He hadn’t had to drill a hole in Jim’s head to relieve the pressure as it had repaired everything but the skull fracture. He’d taken care of that with the regenerator. The internal injuries had taken a long time. There were so many that Bones had stopped counting. They would start the regenerator on the broken arm and leg bones tomorrow. He held the machine in his hand.

Bones entered the waiting room. Chris, Larry, Sheila, and the medic named Donald sat waiting. They all rose, “He’s going to be fine. He’ll be able to be transported on a medical shuttle tomorrow. Do you have a patent on this?” he asked Donald.

“Yes, and I haven’t found a market for it,” Donald told him.

Bones’ mouth fell open. This device was a godsend. “How many lives has it saved?” Bones asked.

Donald shrugged, “Lost count. Take it with you. Captain Pike has already negotiated for use of it. I’ll be joining you at the Academy next year.”

It turned out that this planet wouldn’t be losing just Donald. Larry and Sheila had also been recruited. Chris had been so impressed with their performance and quick thinking, he had used the fast talking that had gotten both Bones and Jim into the Academy.

* * *

Jim awoke. His arm and leg felt huge and faintly ached. His mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. His eyes slowly focused on Bones’ countenance. He stood there in his blue uniform looking at his friend. “Hi,” Jim croaked out.

“Hi, he says,” Bones groused. “You go out in a winter storm, rescue people and get yourself hurt, and all you can do is say ‘hi’?”

“Water?” Jim asked. His right arm was extremely uncooperative. Of course, the cast it was in might have had something to do with that. The hospital bed wasn’t all that uncomfortable though. Bones shook his head as he held a straw to Jim’s mouth. Jim sipped, allowing the cold liquid to slide down his parched throat. “Where am I?” he finally asked.

“USS Exeter,” Bones replied. “Chris showed up. Do you like collecting medals or something?” Bones asked. Jim gave him a funny look. “The planet’s giving you something for going above and beyond the call of duty.”

“Bones, I…” Jim started.

“Stop, I get it. We both chose dangerous professions. I know that. One day one or both of us might not come back, or come back in a body bag. But, I love you Jim. When the call came in with your injuries…”

“Bones, I love you too. I can’t promise that nothing bad will ever happen. As you pointed out, we signed on to Starfleet, but I will always try my best to come back to you. How long will I be stuck here?” Jim asked.

They both heard a chuckle from another corner of the room. “From what I’ve heard, they’ll finish treating your injuries in San Francisco,” Chris said as he approached the pair. “It’ll be tomorrow when we get back to Earth. After that, it’s up to your doctor.” Chris clasped Jim’s uninjured hand, “Good job, Cadets.”

“Hey, Chris, what about the people in the shuttle?” Jim asked.

“Ambassador Veron and his family sustained minor injuries including frostbite, and were horribly put out that a mere cadet would take precedence in medical care over a hangnail,” Chris responded. Jim looked at him. “I told him that he was lucky that was all his wife suffered. One of his servants, who was on the shuttle, sustained a concussion as well. The good news is that there were no casualties from the shuttle crash.”

Jim and Bones watched as Chris left the room. Bones let down the left side of the bed and climbed in, raising the rails behind him. The bed was just big enough for the two of them if Bones lay on his side. Jim drifted back to sleep in the arms of his lover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The device in question is the one Bones used on Chekov in the surgery suite in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. I’ll wrap this up tomorrow. More comfort, and snuggles, I hope.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys come home. Thank you Jo for the pics. It has been interesting! Don’t own them.

Bones awoke from a weird dream. He’d been chasing Jim through a ship waving a hypo wildly with one hand. Okay, the last part wasn’t the weird, but that he’d been chasing him through a ship was. He shook his head clearing it and suddenly realizing that he had a crick in his neck from the position he was sleeping in. He needed to find a better way to do this. They couldn’t share a hospital bed while Jim was healing.

Bones tried to slip from the bed as Jim grabbed him. “Don’t go,” he murmured. “Is it morning?”

Bones looked over at the chronometer in the room. “Yeah, it’s 0400, so it’s pretty damn early in the morning. How are you feeling?” Bones asked.

“What time are we leaving?” Jim asked. Bones knew what he meant. They were due to arrive back at Earth today.

“We’ve got a couple of hours,” Bones told him. Jim watched as he stretched and then settled back down, putting his arms around his boyfriend. “A couple of more days and you should be fully healed. All those regeneration bouts have done the trick.”

“Good, I want to sleep in my own bed,” Jim told him. Bones pressed a soft kiss into Jim’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Jim,” Bones said. Jim looked at him. Not quite sure why he was being thanked. “For being you, even for being a hero and charging out there to help people. It’s in your nature, your very DNA. I’m sure your Dad would be very proud.”

“Are you sure?” Jim asked. His voice sounded small, uncertain. It was one of the few times he had ever sounded that way to Bones.

“I am,” Bones told him. “Your selfless spirit echoes his sacrifice. That doesn’t mean I’m going to let you do that.”

Jim laughed. “We both know we have no choice in the matter. If the time comes…” Bones knew what he meant. “Until that time, though, let’s just live in the moment. I love you.”

Bones wrapped his arms around Jim and kissed him. “I love you too,” he said. They lay there, kissing each other until the nurse came in.

“Good thing you’re in your pajamas, Doctor,” she told them as she came over to take Jim’s vital signs. She noted them on the machine and smiled at both of them. “Gonna miss you both, Cadets. Good luck.”

Jim and Bones looked at each other and snuggled down as best they could. This brief moment in time, where they understood each other completely, Bones could dream of a time where they were publicly more than roommates and friends. Where they didn’t have to wedge into the same bed every time they wanted to be more intimate than just being in the same room, and when he could freely bring Jo in and love her as his little girl. Joss didn’t object to their relationship. She thought they were good for each other. It was the location and timing. Bones still saw Jo during the Summer Break. He loved that little girl.

“Thinking about Jo?” Jim asked. Guiltily, Bones nodded his head. “That’s okay, Bones. I can’t compete with her. But, I know that I have that part of your heart that doesn't belong to her.” Bones smiled. He didn’t know how he’d gotten this lucky. Life was fleeting and he just hoped that he would always be able to tell Jim and those around him how much they meant to him. He snuggled back down and drifted back to sleep. He’d spend the rest of his life chasing Jim down hallways for the rest of his life if he had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have to say good bye to this story. Thank you Jo for coming along for the ride, although, you’ve spent most of the time doing some of the steering. I liked your narrative this week as well. It made the journey even more interesting.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm dedicating this work to JoJa, without who's Monday Morning pics, this work wouldn't be possible.


End file.
